**1. Introduction**

Knowledge plays a vital role in the growth of an organization. Knowledge is represented as the most fundamental part for driving innovation and maintaining competitive advantage in the market [1]. Knowledge management is the backbone for the success of an organization [2]. While an organization focusing on knowledge management unfortunately neglect knowledge sharing, knowledge sharing is more effective by encouragement and stimulation-based activities than by force-based ones. Organizational culture is regarded as one of the approaches for encouraging and stimulating employees to display necessary behaviors that benefit organizations [3]. Knowledge sharing (KS) is undoubtedly a significant element for all organizations, especially for banking institutions that pursue knowledge as an intangible and sought-after asset. Knowledge sharing plays an important role in distinguishing the competitive and rapidly changing environment because it not only enables intellectual reuse, but also the renewal of knowledge held by bank employees. The innovations in products, processes, and Shariah of Islamic banking need are ever increasing due to Islamic concept. Therefore, implementation of knowledge management strategies like knowledge sharing is necessary to meet ever-increasing challenges.

Further than this, [4, 5] underline that these organizations must constantly encourage their employees to share valuable information so that their intellectual capital can be used. In recent years, many researchers and academics have emphasized the need to create an organizational culture conducive to knowledge sharing between organizations and to implement more knowledge-friendly business strategies.

Organizations around the world are trying to take initiatives in familiarizing effective knowledge management (KM) by implanting knowledge sharing practices in their organizations for the purpose of achieving organizational performance growth and sustainability in the ever-increasing competitive environment [6]. For centuries, numerous banking services have grown to include financial services directed at both businesses and individuals at large, indirectly influencing economic practices, particularly in the Pakistani banking arena. Hence, implementing KM initiatives with managing knowledge sharing is considered by the banking sector to be extremely important in leading the Pakistani economy.

This is why banks are taking the initiative to set up KM teams within their organizations [4]. With this in mind, banking institutions have realized that KS in KM should not be abandoned or neglected to improve their survival in this increasingly difficult competitive environment. This study aims to investigate KS strategies that help to increase the tendency of Islamic bank employees in Pakistan to continue KS practices.

Islamic banking has grown into a substantial and fastest growing industry in the past four decades. It followed the rules and principles of Islamic transactions (Sharia) to carry out its activities [5, 6]. According to the Sharia's principles, any payment or receipt of interest is strictly banned. However, Islamic banking now offers a good range of products and services but still more creative and innovative developments are required to meet the requirements of competitive market of current era. What sets Pakistan apart other Islamic countries is how the Pakistani government has managed to establish a parallel system where Islamic and conventional banking services can work side by side instead of full Islamization. It was the country's first step toward development of a dual system, whereby Islamic banking could operate alongside the conventional system [6, 7].

The fundamental role of knowledge management in Islamic banking organization is very important in providing updated information and knowledge-based services [8]. In other words, effective KM should contribute to organizational performance through the progress of organizational knowledge capacity [5–7]; empirical research shows that an organizational capacity to learn or acquire the necessary knowledge from other organizations is an important source for sharing successful knowledge. Increasing knowledge capacities as a basis for organizational development is therefore beneficial for the effectiveness of the organization.
